Star Trek: Phoenix Phoenix Rising Part III S1E1
by andyblue1975
Summary: The final part of the three part pilot episode.


**2245.**

**FEDERATION – KLINGON BATTLE OF DONATU V.**

**ADMIRAL WILLIAM JEFFERIES, U.S.S. CONSTITUTION.**

"Admiral's Log. The may be my last log as the flag officer of this vessel. The Klingons have gained the upper hand and demanding our surrender or destruction. All the starships have lost shields, transporters, weapons, and warp drive, which makes it clear that the enemy has some kind of new weapon at their disposal. Mere torpedoes and phasers couldn't have disabled us in one swift blow, which confirms my suspicions that the Empire has developed some kind of EMP weapon. If the Klingons were to push their advances into Federation space....it doesn't bear thinking about. Captain Krase of the IKS Amar has demanded that all remaining personnel from this vessel come to his ship via shuttlecraft as prisoners of war, where we will be processed. I am all out of options and it appears that the planet, and our lives, are surrendered to the might of the Klingon Empire. I have ordered all vessels to eject their warp powered flight recorders so that maybe lessons can be learned from this disastrous day. My first officer, Commander Davenport will be piloting myself & my senior officer's via my Captains Yacht, the Declaration."

Beneath the saucer section, the disk-like vessel separated itself, and headed in a trajectory towards the Amar. Once within range, the Klingon vessel would tractor the Declaration, and the shuttles that followed into the shuttle bay, and deliver the officers to whatever gruesome fate awaited them. The best that they could hope for is being offered as bargaining chips for Federation forces to step back & cede territory to the Empire. The worst thought that crossed the first officer's mind was spending his remaining days in the dilithium mines of Rura Penthe. Quietness enveloped the cockpit of the yacht, save for the throbbing of the impulse engines, amongst the beeps and whistles of the naviboard. Then the quietness was broken as one by one, the shuttlecraft were picked out by the Klingons one by one, until just the Declaration remained, bout to stare down the mouth of a torpedo tube launching a volley of fire with their name on it. Just when all appeared lost, Andy had a brainwave. It was a gamble, but he knew that with the choices of either being amongst the shuttlecraft that the Amar was picking off, or being a Klingon prisoner of war, anything was worth a gamble. "Admiral, take the helm, I have an idea, but we need to get close enough for this to work." Intrigued at what his first officer was up to, the Admiral slipped into the pilot seat. Andy rapidly pressed buttons on his tricorder, which beeped continuously acknowledging his inputted comments. "Got it!" he exclaimed. The Amar's shields were down, and Andy could easily locate the source that had generated the EMP shockwave. Interfacing it with his tricorder, with the yachts navigational deflectors caused his signal to be amplified. As he pressed the button to initiate the signal command, which he hoped would activate the weapon on the Amar, the deflector burnt out, swiftly followed by him dropping the tricorder in shock as the device succumbed to the same fate. The Klingons vessels were lifeless, spinning out of control and careening of one another, they headed towards the planet where gravity would capture the craft and pull them to their doom. "Yeeee haaaaa.....their EMP weapon has malfunctioned on them and they are like dead ducks falling from the sky." Admiral Jefferies disturbed Andy's moment of glory. "I hate to ruin this moment that has saved our lives, but our vessel is falling like a stone too." "Talk about out of the frying pan," muttered Davenport. "Prepare yourself; it's going to be anything but a text book landing!"

**NORTHERN POLAR REGION, DONATU V.**

Andy muttered to himself, but also used his mutterings and thoughts as a tool to try to take his mind of the treacherous, freezing blizzard conditions. The plan to evade the Klingons had worked, and he pondered that with him actually setting foot on Donatu V, would it mean that the planet was now Federation territory? He knew that the fleet would have sent distress signals, and it wouldn't be long before more reinforcements arrived. But then again, he pondered that being the proud warrior race; surely it would be an act of cowardice to send a distress signal for help? Would the Klingons view that as a sign of weakness and not bother to send distress signals, whilst accepting their fate? He dismissed the notion in an instant, focusing his near frozen mind on his navipad that kept prompting him to head north where there happened to be a mountain range with caves that would provide adequate shelter. The crash was far from the textbook landings he had learned in the academy days, with the loss of all hands except him. He started to wonder how much longer this strange turn of luck would hold. He had survived the onslaught of the Empire in orbit, where his ship, the Constitution, was no doubt a drifting, lifeless hulk. He had survived the possibility of being a prisoner of war. On top that he had survived a crash landing, cheating death yet again. Surely, there must be a commendation of valour, or medal of honour due from Starfleet upon his return, he mused. The blizzard had gotten even worse and he was down to zero visibility. His only salvation was the beeping device, which guided him ever closer to shelter, and had suddenly increased its intermittency tenfold. He had finally found the mountain ranges and before him he could make out the entrance of a cave. Although he had to dig a bit as the snow had covered some of the opening. Using his hands as a shovel, he moved through the snow faster and faster, until he felt a slight rumbling beneath his feet. Andy stopped to listen for the rumble, but it too had stopped, and as he continued to shift the snow, it gave way beneath his feet.

**2380.**

**U.S.S. PHOENIX – EN ROUTE TO Q'ONOS.**

**CAPTAIN'S LOG: STARDATE APRIL 1****ST**** 2380.**

"Our mission to Ardana is seemingly littered with obstacles, and is fitting with the irony of today's date! Not only are we being delayed due to the actions of two superior officers, but I am now without a Counsellor and an engineer. Counsellor Walker & Ensign Sodak were found unconscious in the Ensign's quarters losing blood from their noses. They are currently stable & being monitored by Doctor Coey in sickbay. I just hope he can get to the bottom of the cause of their comatose state, although it is highly unlikely that any of the ship's logical Vulcans will want to assist a v'tosh ka'tur. I could order an officer, but I will not go against free will, or risk whatever is affecting them, affecting any of the crew. If the Doc's investigations bear no fruit, I feel my only other option is to pay a visit to Sodak's parents on Vulcan. I am unsure of his relationship with them considering his abandonment of logic, so I hope that parental instincts will take precedence. I'm also concerned about the Doc and his conflict between his preferred traditional healing experience, and his clear dislike of working in what he quoted as 'a god damn computer centre.' I can only hope that he settles in & gets used to his new working environment."

As the turbolift carried him to the Bridge, Ensign Rollings knew that until his Ops shift ended, this would be the last bit of peace he would experience. It's not that he didn't mind noise; it was just that he preferred the peace. His ears still hadn't acclimatised to the cacophony that was normal on a starship bridge, and his ears were sensitive at the best of times, what with heightened sensory perception being a natural characteristic of a Vullian. Although similar in build to most humanoids, the only visible difference being heightened senses, and a ridge bisecting the face from the nose bridge to the skull base. Today though, his senses seemed more sensitive than normal, as the whirring of the turbolift was particularly noticeable, and seemed to be increasing.

Simon was in his Ready Room, going over the list of available missions for the Alpha Fleet. As he made his way through the current list, he mentally picked out the one's that particularly peaked his interest. Amongst those were visits to Risa, Denobula, North Star, as well as a mapping of a stellar nursery, and aid missions to Cardassia. But he knew better than to get ahead of himself as he knew that things rarely went according to plan. The reality of starship Captaincy broke his train of thought, as Commander Davenport activated the internal comm channel. "Bridge to Captain Hodgkinson. We have crossed into Klingon space. Engineering are having problems maintaining a stable warp field. It appears to be being disrupted by an anomalous reading that's off the chart. The emissions appear to be neutrino, but are such a large amount that I can only deduce they emanate from a large mass that is cloaked." Simon leapt out his chair and headed for the Bridge, issuing commands as he replied. "Drop to hyper impulse. Shields up. Red alert!"

**2245.**

**NORTHERN POLAR REGION, DONATU V.**

When Andy came to he had the mother of all headaches. As he tried to open his eyes and stand up, bright lights glared as he found himself feeling a concrete surface as he attempted to get up. Next to him an old rusty door lay on the floor, and he couldn't believe that his frame had booted through it, but then he felt the pain in his legs as he eventually found his feet, and began to explore. As he eyes came to he found himself in what could only be described as a massive underground hangar, as row after row of powerful spotlights began to illuminate the room. Then it hit him like a point blank phaser blast, as his eyes adjusted to take in the row after row of Klingon vessels. They all looked very similar to the D7 class battle cruiser, except more of a natural evolution of that model. It now all made sense why Donatu V was so important to the Klingons. It was a launching point for an all out assault on the Federation. The Klingons were preparing for invasion. Suddenly a klaxon started to blare with a repeating Klingon phrase that didn't sound good at all. The temperature in the hangar dropped suddenly, and it felt to Andy that it was getting colder inside than it was outside, as he instantly froze where he stood.

**2380.**

**U.S.S. PHOENIX, KLINGON SPACE.**

Ensign Rollings emerged from the turbolift screaming whilst holding his ears. He dropped to the floor, doubling up in agony as Andy ran over to help. The Ops officer announced an incoming hail as on the viewscreen, a fleet of BattleBirds decloaked, clearly surrounding the Phoenix. Marax then replaced the image of his fleet with his face on the viewscreen. Ensign Rollings, grimacing in pain, suddenly rose to his feet, grabbing Andy's neck whilst holding a serrated blade to it. Congratulating the surgically altered cleric, Marax laughed; "Well done Rokax, you have served me well. Captain, sorry to cause any inconvenience, but I require your first officer. Allow him to beam to my vessel, and your ship will be spared." Immediately seeing his friend in trouble, and a security risk to the ship, Rez unholstered his phaser aiming it right between the abductors eyes. "Where is the real Ensign Rollings?" Rokax snarled and laughed, his hand twitching as the cool steel serrated edge pressed against the flesh of the Commander's throat, threatening to pierce the jugular at any given moment. Simon gestured for Rez to back down, so that the agent wouldn't feel threatened, and mindlessly kill his first officer. The moments seemed to play out in slow motion, as sweat poured profusely down his brow. His breathing laboured & heavy, Andy had nowhere to go, and any sudden movement to defend himself would deprive him & the ship of their lives. The odds were overwhelming as Simon realised that this was a no win situation, with no back door. "Drop shields" he ordered begrudgingly, as Commander Davenport disappeared in the Klingon transporter beam. The viewscreen changed to a view of the ships heading into warp. Before the Captain even mouthed the order, the Rhaanderite officer Labe shook his head at the findings of no traceable warp trail. 'Rollings', or Rokax was gobsmacked as he expected to be returned to his fellow clerics. He dropped to the floor, screaming as he held his ears as the synaptic device ruptured his pathways. He then lay motionless, his head resting in a pool of blood.

**SOMEWHERE......**

Kirsty could hear Sodak calling to her, but couldn't make out which direction his voice came from. Surrounded by a mist that never seemed to clear, it felt like he was calling to her from all directions, as if he was all around her. The mists cleared and she could see both their bodies strapped to the biobeds, whilst the Doc was doing routine checks. There was no point shouting, screaming, or doing a dance as he wouldn't be able to hear her, let alone see her. A familiar warmth coursed through her shoulder as Sodak placed a reassuring hand there. He seemed so calm, especially for a passionate Vulcan, yet she was completely the opposite. She tried to speak but couldn't open her mouth and the words seemed to fade with a thought. Sodak faced her, and then she could hear his voice. He explained what she was experiencing, and what had led to them ending up in sickbay. He even joked that getting back to bed was a totally different concept then to what their bodies were experiencing now. They could see that the Doc was having no success in awakening them, and they both knew that he wouldn't know as there wasn't a precedent set for this. Sodak cursed the Vulcans for being so secretive with some aspects of their culture. As the Doc put them into stasis, Sodak hoped that the Captain would work out that the best people to deal with a Vulcan mystery, are Vulcans.

**THE KLINGON BATTLEBIRD VENGEANCE – EN ROUTE TO DONATU V.**

As he came to he found himself lying flat on a cold, metallic slab raised a couple of feet from the floor. One light filled the room which just happened to be glaring right in his line of sight, and obscuring the mutterings of other voices in the otherwise dark and damp room. A figure moved out of the darkness and into the light, bellowing. "Donatu five. The Conquerors. Captain Krase. The hidden dreadnought fleet. TALK!" Andy couldn't understand apart from the fact that the Klingon had mentioned the planet that he had been found on encrusted in a slab of frozen ice. Then having to deal with reintegration, and starting his life from scratch, after 125 years. In reality, if he had lived he would have been either killed in duty with the Klingon & Federation skirmishes, or lived to a ripe age and see the end of the 23rd century. The heat from the lamp was stifling, and between coughs, and profusely sweating, Andy managed to find the courage in the face of adversity. "Donatu five was my frozen coffin for a century. A coffin which had caused me memory loss.....why i never even knew i had a wife and child god dammit!!" The tall, stocky, and maniacal looking Klingon introduced himself. "I am the High Priest of Boreth, and in the scrolls of the prophesised all encompassing Klingon Empire, you are known as The Defiant One. You stand in our way, but you are also key to the prophecy coming true." Two clerics attached a bowl with various wires and aerials emanating from it, to Andy's head whilst he struggled, and switched it on. An uncomfortable, tingling sensation rippled through his head as the probe fired the intrusive waves in its interrogation for the long buried memories of past events, which the Klingon cleric operating the machine sought. The convulsing and uncontrollable spasms stopped as he fell into a trance like state. In unpleasant situations, Starfleet officers were trained to focus on certain memories or timelines, such as their length of service, and relay it from scratch. The psychologists and counsellors called it removing oneself from harm, but Andy called it psychobabble. Still, if it was going to take his mind off whatever painful treatments were about to happen, or worse still, possible paralysation, it would be of some comfort. Lowering his heart rate, he began reeling off the dates starting from when he joined Starfleet Academy. "....promotion to Commander, first officer of the U.....S..............................S..... Constitution....." The probe had searched deep within the recesses of the mind whilst being operated by one of the clerics, until they had found what they were looking. Sharply brought forward from the darkest corners of the subconscious, the memory played out as if Andy was experiencing it for the first time, although that wasn't the case. He babbled like a madman as he uttered words he had exchanged in the yacht with Admiral Jeffries over a century ago. "Picking us off......a floating hulk.....Rura Penthe......prisoners of war......emp weapon.........gotcha!....." Marax smiled as the approximate location of the dreadnought hangar was revealed, and planned to take the prisoner down with the landing party, & his entire followers. The battlecruisers would need to be checked over before they were powered up, and even the human would have his uses until his execution.

**READY ROOM, U.S.S. PHOENIX, KLINGON SPACE.**

Simon wished that the first meeting of the Senior Officers was under better circumstances. It had all happened so fast, from so called allies surrounding the Phoenix in Klingon space, to the kidnap of Commander Davenport, to the revelation that there had been a Klingon agent present disguised as a Vullian.

As the Senior Officers made their way into the room and seated themselves, they could already see Chancellor Martok on the video screen on the far wall opposite to the entrance. "Gentlemen, now that we are all here, let us begin. Chancellor, i truly wish that we were having this discussion under better circumstances, however, that is not the case. Thirty minutes ago we were ambushed by a fleet of BattleBirds, who forced my first officer Commander Davenport, to transport over. He had no choice as a Klingon double agent called Rokax posing as a Vullian officer held him at knife point." The Chancellor, for the first time that Simon had ever spoken to him seemed lost for words. "Rokax is a cleric following the Marax. Then i see it has begun. Captain, this is an internal affair and i wish to deal with it the Klingon way. Our communications may be being monitored, so let's rendezvous as i am already on Qonos One, on the way back to the homeworld. I am sending our co-ordinates now." Simon nodded in agreement; "Chancellor, if i may suggest that we dispense with the pleasantries, and have your transporter officer liaise with Ensign Rollings.....er, i mean McCabe, my transporter officer, for transportation direct to my ready room." "Very well Captain, we will be there within the hour, Martok out." Simon could have kicked himself, as he knew somewhere Ensign Rollings was either unconscious, or worse. A full sensor sweep & detailed searches by security, coordinated on the bridge by Rez had revealed nothing. It was clear that Rollings wasn't on the ship he would have to be declared missing in action. That would not fit well with the Vullian Embassy at all as a body was necessary for them to perform their traditional burial service. With no body to hand would be deemed sacrilege. "Gentlemen, i am presuming that this attack is not sanctioned by the High Council, and according to the sparse information that the Chancellor relinquished, is clearly an issue that involves the deeper machinations of the Empire. Let's review our current status. We have two of our officers on Qonos to collect thanks to them defying direct orders, two other officers are comatose in stasis until we can find out how they ended up unconscious and how we can revive them, an officer is missing, and my first officer has been abducted. Meanwhile, on top of that we had a rogue Klingon posing as an officer, which i believe Doc that you currently have him in sickbay." "Yes, my initial scans suggest that he had some kind of synaptic implant and that it was outfitted with some kind of self destruct sequence that caused the rupturing of the pathways. Clearly his master had no more use for him, and didn't want him to reveal any information to us. Out of respect for customary Klingon death beliefs, i have put him in the mortuary until the Chancellor arrives & relays his wishes." The timing was perfect as the communicator beeped, with the voice of the transporter officer announcing the arrival of the Chancellor & his impending beaming.

**NORTHERN POLAR REGION, DONATU V.**

The mind probe had had such an effect on Andy that it was if it had unlocked a door. All his memories thought lost, and buried so deep within the mind that retrieval was thought impossible, was processing the newly resurfacing memories. In particular the one he was living now was the fact the polar area of Donatu hadn't changed at all. In fact, it felt a lot colder than before, but then he put that down to the fact that he hadn't felt that level of coldness since he was instant frozen in ice. After a battle overhead, over a hundred years ago between Federation & Klingon forces, he had ended up stranded on the planet. Seeking the shelter of cave in the mountain region, until a Federation rescue team picked up his beacon, he had stumbled across a secret unmanned base. A gigantic hangar had been hollowed out in one of the mountains, and filled with Klingon dreadnoughts. He had come to the conclusion that the Klingons had so hotly contested pursuit of the planet not just for territorial gain, but for the fact that they had covertly built the base, and that they were preparing for a strike against the Alpha Quadrant & the Federation. He also believed that at the time, with the Starfleet numbers depleting so rapidly in the war, compared to the ship building rate, they Klingons would be victorious. He had been frozen in the cavern as he had triggered some kind of security device that clearly recognised his physiology as non Klingon. This time he didn't have to dig through the snow to find shelter as the warrior melted the snow with their disruptors, eventually revealing, the hole in the cave wall where a door should have been. The ice was thick and it would take hours to phaser through, as Marax instructed to his clerics; "Get to it."

**READY ROOM, U.S.S. PHOENIX.**

Martok was incensed at the fact that the alliance was being tested yet again, even after everything the Federation & the Empire had been through, there were still those who wanted to upset the balance of power. Those who would betray their own kind just for the sake of the glory, or self serving benefit that a war would bring. No lessons had been learnt from the Dominion War, several assassination attempts on both powers Presidents, and other incidents. It incensed him to the point that he didn't even feel inclined to perform the death ritual that warns hell they will soon have a visitor. In his eyes, the dishonourable Rokax was not worthy of entering Sto-Vo-Kor. "Doctor Coey, you will have the body transported over to Qonos One when this meeting concludes, we will then investigate Rokax's footsteps over time to see if we can pinpoint the loss of your officer." Kurt acknowledged the Chancellor. Simon interjected; "With all due respect Chancellor, although you claim this is a matter of an internal Klingon nature, i don't believe this is so. Two Federation officers have been abducted, and a federaton starship, us, have been ambushed. Klingon or not, that involves us and makes us allied in this endeavour." Martok harrumphed with embarrassment. He was embarrassed that he hadn't had the time to put a stop to Marax's unholy agenda, even though he had seen it coming. "Gentleman, Marax has been studying ancient scrolls which date back hundreds of years, and has decided to act on them. He has uncovered classified information that there is a secret base on Donatu V which has a fleet of Klingon dreadnoughts. There was a fiercely contested battle over this region in 2245 led by Captain Krase and your Admiral William Jefferies of the Constitution. My people at the time were planning to strike at the very heart of the Federation. Marax believes that your first officer found it before he was frozen. If the base still exists, the base will be frozen solid, and the dreadnoughts will not be capable of flight. They will be nothing more than rusting hulks." Ken piped up. "They'll be D7 battle cruisers. All they need is a good engineer and they will be able to make those museum pieces fly. Why during the final assault on Cardassia, during the war, K'Tinga class fleets fought alongside us. The ships are hardy, and i don't doubt for a second that this Marax has the resources to get them airborne." Simon had made his decision. "Chancellor, we are going with you. I presume that you will be bringing a fleet along to compensate? I will obtain some Federation assistance." Martok nodded his head, and hit his com badge in the insignia of the Empire. "Dach ma chek." In a haze of glittery red, he disappeared, and out the viewscreen of the ready room, a fleet of bird of preys flanking the Chancellor's flagship cloaked & warped towards uncertainty.

**KLINGON BASE, NORTHERN POLAR REGION, DONATU V.**

As the Klingon crew & their Starfleet hostage entered the cavernous hangar, Andy remembered back to the days of the battle in orbit. The Klingons of that particular time were very different to those who held him captive now. Sure enough, the intruder klaxon sounded, clearly not recognising the modern day warriors as the same race that built the hangar. With the element of surprise, he whipped out the disruptor out of Marax's holster. As the clerics & Marax rushed him they slowed, as the booby trap installed against intruders slowly froze them in their tracks. Before he could be fully frozen, he noticed a computer nearby, & taking a shot before he was completely frozen, could only hope that destroying it would stop him from freezing.

**KLINGON BATTLEBIRD VENGEANCE – IN ORBIT OF DONATU V.**

Cleric N'Dak had been left in command of the fleet of twelve BattleBirds, and he would remain as such, as Marax would be commanding the re-activated, K'Tinga class dreadnoughts. Most of the clerics had beamed down to the surface, as the fleet operated on a minimal crew. However, in the meantime Marax had also stated that if he didn't check in on the hour, every hour, that the fleet were to commence bombing of his last known location. A loud klaxon sounded which had the ominous melody of announcing bad news. "N'Dak! A combined Federation & Klingon fleet are heading our way." Then a proximity alert chimed. "There is a vessel exiting a slipstream opening near us!" N'Dak smiled, and even though he knew there was only a minimal crew compliment manning the ships, he knew that the clerics would perform as best as a full crew. "All ships. This is N'Dak. Today is a good day to die!"

**ALPHA FLYER, DONATU V.**

"Exiting the slipstream in three….two….one….." announced Lieutenant Markey. The Alpha Flyer although was outnumbered in strength & numbers, could almost certainly make up in speed & manoeuvrability. "Shields up! Red Alert! Activate ablative armour! Ready quantum phasers & torpedoes!" Duco was all business, and even though they had been monitoring communications ever since the Embassy allowed them to leave to assist their vessel, they both knew that the odds of coming out of the battle alive, were slim. The best they could hope for was to hold off the fleet until the task force arrived. Duco commented; "I was sure I would be busted back to Ensign for all our trangressions, and now I'll be lucky if I get as far as the shuttlebay as we disembark and head to the disciplinary!"

**KLINGON BASE, DONATU V.**

Apart from a chill to the bone, he had managed to halt the protection system. Although his Klingon captors hadn't been as lucky, as they stood frozen in their tracks. Stood before him were row upon row of battleships, and it just so happened to be his lucky day that he remembered his studies of the enemies' vessels. The only thing he couldn't do was translate Klingon. Now, if he could just remember where the doorbell was……

**BRIDGE, U.S.S. PHOENIX – EN ROUTE TO DONATU V.**

Illuminated in a crimson hue, the staff scurried to & fro, manning their stations, ready for the battle ahead. Calm & composed on the outside whilst inside, a turmoil of emotion, the Captain addressed his fellow 'Alpha's.' Ever the outspoken one of the bunch, Mark Jameson II overflowed with enthusiasm; "I was wonderin' when we 'd get a chance to truly put these shiny new ships through their paces, and the opportunity has come along sooner than i thought." A decorated veteran during the Dominion War, and the only Starfleet officer to ever refuse a position with the admiralty, in fear of taking him away from the centre seat, Captain Charlie Reynolds was completely the opposite to Jameson. "I've seen too much bloodshed in a short time. More than any person should see during a lifetime. Let's make this short, swift & decisive." Captain Morgan Bateson just chuckled to himself, whilst the Captain's looked on in puzzlement. Even under the stoic Vulcan demeanour, Solok almost gave away the expression for whatever passed as a puzzled Vulcan. "I jump through a causality loop which takes me ahead in time nearly a century, and i still find that i am running battles with Klingons!" Eager to go, preserve the alliance with the Klingons, and rescue his First Officer, Simon was eager to engage warp speed. "Gentleman, the battle is joined."

**ALPHA FLYER, IN ORBIT OF DONATU V.**

Craig's hair was matted, and his uniform bore evidence of scorch marks whilst his face was black with smoke from the surrounding burnt out consoles & sparking controls. "Nothing! I got nothing! We're dead in the water. Out of ammo, no engines, nothing! Dammit Duco, i've had it with you! We go from one bad spot to another!" As the BattleBirds closed in to make the killing blow on the Alpha Flyer as it spun out of control, Craig swung a quantum torpedo of his own as he broke his superior officers' nose. As they both tried to get the upper hand in the fistfight, Duco commented; "Striking a superior officer. You'll be Ensign all your Starfleet life!" Craig laughed as he dodge a left, but he didn't dodge the right that connected with his stomach. Doubling over between gasps; "It....doesn't mat...ter, we'll....soon be.....dead...courtesy of....the mad....monks...!" A shadow blotted out the light from the Donatu star of a closing vessel, and of a Klingon vessel of another kind. As Duco peered out of the cockpit window, he wondered why they weren't dead yet, and he also wondered why an old Klingon K'Tinga Class battle cruiser was attacking its own kind.

**COMMANDER ANDY DAVENPORT, BRIDGE, K'TINGA CLASS KLINGON BATTLE CRUISER.**

"Yeeeeeehaaaaaaa!" Unfortunately there was no one around to hear his rallies of jubilation & victory at automating the Klingon ship and managing to get the century old hulk into the air. Even with a full complement of torpedoes, disruptors at maximum, and shields fully charged, one ship was no match for a fleet of advanced BattleBirds. Letting rip with disruptors wildly firing, and torpedoes at all targets, he screamed a death wish at the clerics; "Today is a good day to die!" Although the ship had all the grace and aerodynamics of a brick, Andy was pleasantly surprised & relieved to have discovered that the commands covering all eventualities could be issued from a panel in the arm of the Captain's chair. He guessed that this was a failsafe device in case of an emergency when the ship had very little crew, as of now. His other thought, which was much more darker, but probably the truest, was that it was also for use in extreme situations such as mutiny, or a challenge of command; something that was very common place on Klingon vessels. On the tactical display, he noticed a load of dots incoming, and if he was reading the information correctly, there were Federation & Klingon signatures about to make a show.

**ALPHA FLYER.**

Recovering from the effects of Duco's punch to his stomach, Craig wondered that if heaven was their last dying moments, then he didn't want to die either. "If heaven is an existence in the moments leading up to our death, then the universe and its fates are twisted. Either that, or the Klingons are still occupied with the dreadnought?" Barging Duco out of the way whilst he stood there mouth ajar, Craig soon too wore the same expression as several Klingon vessels warped in and commence strafing & bombing runs on the BattleBirds. Duco turned to Craig and mouthed two words; "Nine lives."

**BRIDGE, U.S.S. PHOENIX.**

"Exiting warp in five….four…three…two….one…." announced Labe. The shields received their first welcome by way of a volley of torpedoes chafing the shields. Amidst all the carnage, and floating without power, Simon instantly noticed the Alpha Flyer. "You couldn't stay & wait to be collected could you?" he muttered to himself. Although he couldn't fault them for providing assistance, even in the face of insurmountable odds.

Issuing orders making every second count, Simon attended to the business at hand. "Transported room 3, beam the Alpha Flyer survivors aboard. Bridge to Engineering, Ken, we will be tractoring in to the main shuttlebay the Alpha Flyer, when safe to do so. After this battle is done, assign a team to make the necessary repairs. Helm, attack pattern Kirk Omega."

On the viewscreen, a squadron of six Bird Of Preys, commenced a strafing run on vital areas of the lead BattleBird. The blows seemed to have a minimal effect on the heavily armoured vessel, as it returned fire. The lead vessel was struck with a direct hit, and seemed to be heading into a nosedive whilst being caught in a phaser crossfire. The vessel appeared doomed and it appeared that the crew knew this, as the craft seemed to be angling in a kamikaze dive. Smashing explosively into the warp cowling, the main BattleBird started to rupture with mini explosions, as parts of the vessel were flung out by the deadly force that slowly consumed it, whilst scraping shields of the other cleric's vessels nearby. With the brilliance of a sun, the sudden finality engulfed the vessel, and crippled another BattleBird close by. Simon imagined that on the allied vessels, many a Klingon would be howling in defiance, announcing to Sto-Vo-Kor the imminent arrival of their lost brothers on the Bird Of Prey.

Amongst the madness, he could clearly see the century old K'Tinga class vessel holding its own, albeit barely. It trailed a line of flames across the sky as one of its warp nacelles sheared off from a torpedo volley. "Just who in the hell is piloting that rust bucket?" muttered Simon. It was almost as if his question had been heard across the star field of battle, as an incoming hail came through. "This is Commander Davenport, of the Imperial Klingon Defence Force vessel Blade. Surrender your vessel, Starfleet!" Of all the times to joke, now really wasn't the time, thought Simon. However, he was very glad to know that his first officer was alive, & causing mayhem. He couldn't wait to hear the story of how he got out of this particular fix. "Commander, it's very good to hear from you. I need you aboard the Phoenix. Lower your shields so i can beam you over." Andy smiled, and relayed the news that his vessel was in a bad state, and that he wanted to use that to his advantage. Firing up the remaining impulse engines, he aimed the vessel at the enemy, which loomed closer & closer on the viewscreen, as the ship took a pounding. "Not yet…..not yet…..not yet…….NOW!" Mere moments before the ship collided with the BattleBird, Andy was beamed out, and as he felt the familiar tingling sensation, he hoped that he would materialize on the Phoenix. The dreadnought sheared the clerics vessel apart, whilst spectacular exploding on impact.

The combined Federation & Klingon fleet, regrouped ready for the final assault on the remaining clerics vessels. The Rhaanderites had vacated their positions, making way for the rightful occupiers of the helm & navigation consoles. Simon, needing every crewmember he could lay his hands on, was happy to see them back where they belong. A moment later, Andy strolled on to the bridge, requesting permission. "Permission granted," exclaimed Simon. "Let's get to it!"

Analysing the information on his armrest display, something alarmed Andy. "Captain, the BattleBirds are each showing a massive surge of energy building up. This is only equal to say deploying some kind of weapon or….." It was then he realised exactly what the remaining vessels plan was. They were clearly outnumbered, and Klingons weren't they type for surrendering. "Phoenix to Federation & Klingon fleet. Move your ships to the following co-ordinates now!" He swiftly typed the text message & sent it, with the knowledge that time wasn't on his side. Craig received the message at his station & instantly keyed in the commands as the mighty starship, along with its allies jumped to warp one, just as the enemies vessels disappeared in a display akin to the destruction of a star.

**SOMETIME LATER.**

The Klingons fired a barrage of phaser fire, aiming at the former hangar of the fleet of dreadnoughts. An avalanche of rock buried the secret base, and consigned it to the history books, whilst the fleet of century old vessels, accompanied by its modern counterparts, headed to the Ty'Gokor shipyards for immediate decommissioning.

Witnessing the warping away of the Klingon vessels, and relaying their gratitude to the Alpha's as they too warped away to continue their respective five year missions, the crew still tried to absorb recent events. Although the mission to Ardana still beckoned, there was still the worrying matter of Kirsty & Sodak, comatose & in stasis.

"We have to head to Vulcan;" commanded Simon. Nothing being too much trouble, Chief Engineer Ken Mumford, replied first. "I can have us there in say, a few days Captain." Duco & Craig made a joke between themselves about Ken's old fashioned reluctance to use the slipstream drive, which Simon overheard. "Don't think I've forgotten about you two either & your transgressions. God knows how you got through the Academy!" Ever since he came back on board, Rez had been eyeing Andy suspiciously. "Rez? What is it? I thought you'd be relieved to have me back on board, and the crew back together." Although it wasn't a thought he should be pondering, as a Starfleet security officer, it was his job to account for any eventuality, no matter how improbable. "You've knowledge of Starfleet, you've knowledge of the Klingons, what's to say there aren't any other issues we don't know about? You're a wildcard." Andy smiled; "I know it's your place to raise concerns, but I bet you'd love to hear a history lesson on the security of that old dreadnought?!" You never know, it could come in useful." Rez patted the commander on the shoulder, and smiled. Not wanting to waste a moment, Simon ordered the ship to Vulcan. "Lieutenant Markey, ahead warp 5 & punch it!"

* * *

In sickbay Doc Coey & his staff dealt with the minor injuries that officers had occurred during the battle, whilst he himself felt the compulsion to pay special attention to the two in stasis. He reached for his tricorder that had been placed on the side, next to the jars of Yridian burn ointment. Within his grasp but not quite, the tricorder moved & landed on the unit containing the Counsellor.


End file.
